


Those Lies We Tell

by lovelyavengers (fandomsandxfiles)



Series: Jack Thompson Things [29]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Jack is an asshole but I love him, Mild Language, Period-Typical Sexism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29043618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/lovelyavengers
Summary: When the SSR is forced to work with the FBI on a case, they’re saddled with Special Agent Y/N L/N, whose flirty attitude also comes with a strict “no relationship” policy. She catches the attention of chief Jack Thompson, but he makes some big mistakes in his attempts to woo her.
Relationships: Jack Thompson/Reader
Series: Jack Thompson Things [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2120916
Comments: 16
Kudos: 17





	1. How Not to Welcome a New Agent to the Office

Jack hadn't been excited to get the news: that they had to work with the FBI for the next case. In his experience, FBI agents were lazy, incompetent and only cared about when they could take their next vacation. But there was a serial killer on the loose, and even though the SSR were the first people to realize that a set of four murders were actually committed by the same person, it technically wasn't their jurisdiction. The SSR was for the unexplained and the unbelievable, and so unless they could prove that there was some fantastic element at play in all of the deaths, they had to place nice with the bureau, or just hand over the case completely. 

It was surprising that the FBI didn't just snatch up the case and shut Jack out completely, like they had done before. Maybe they just couldn't be bothered to care. Either way, he was now stuck babysitting some FBI agent until they decided they were done with the case. And he was not looking forward to it. They said they were sending an agent from the DC office as well, not even one from New York, so on top of their general incompetence, they wouldn't even know the area. Jack missed that sentence the first time he read through the correspondence, and when he read it again he wanted to bang his head against the wall. 

The rest of the agents groaned when he told them that they had to play nice with the FBI as well. "What did we do to piss them off?" Agent Tom White asked. "And why are they sticking us with some newbie?"

"We don't know if it's a newbie," Jack said. "But the case technically isn't our jurisdiction, so we have to go through the proper channels. If we can prove the case is connected to one of our open investigations, then we can take over. Until then, we have to cooperate." His announcement was met with a general muttering and annoyance, but there was nothing he could do or say to change anything. 

Although they had complained to Jack every chance they got, every single agent in the building was changing their tune when you walked through the bullpen one morning. Their eyes were glued to you as you walked right by them, shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. And when you disappeared into the chief's office, the whispering began. 

"That's the FBI agent?" 

"Shit, maybe I should transfer to the bureau." 

"Yeah, it beats looking at your ugly faces all day." 

"If that's the FBI agent, I might just have to switch onto this case." 

"Yeah, who is on this case anyway?" 

The rest of the agents shrugged at each other, because no one there was assigned to the serial killer you were supposed to be catching. "Wait, is it just the chief then?" one of the agents asked. 

"Lucky bastard," another cut in. 

Their conversation was interrupted as the door to the chief's office opened and he emerged, you a few steps behind him. "Everyone, this is Special Agent Y/N L/N," Jack said, looking around the bullpen at the others. "She's from the FBI's DC office and she'll be working with us to catch the South Street Ripper." 

You waved hello to the other agents and offered a small smile. "What did you do to get stuck up here?" one of the men called out. 

"I'm not sure," you said. "Guess I'm just the FBI's most unwanted." 

Jack showed you to your desk, and then it was right to work. The other agents didn't seem to realize that though, because they wouldn't stop coming up to you to “introduce themselves.” It got old really quickly, because you weren't an idiot: you had seen their lecherous eyes when you walked in. When you were packing up to leave, one of them approached you again. He attempted to place his hand on the small of your back, but pulled it back when you "accidentally" jammed your heel into his foot. "What the hell was that for?" 

"I wasn't born yesterday, I've noticed all your little glances at me," you said, and then you turned to address the rest of the office, who had stopped what they were doing to listen to your interaction. "I don't do relationships, and I sure as hell don't do sexist idiots like all of you." No one else in the office had a word to say to that as you walked out the door. You sighed as you stepped into the chilly winter air. If every day was going to be like this, it was going to be a long case. 

***

Jack wasn't sure what to think about you. On one hand, you seemed much more competent than any FBI agent he'd ever met, but on the other hand, you'd been working with the SSR for barely a day and you'd already caused one of his agents bodily harm. He didn't say anything about it though, because in his opinion Agent Blair had been asking for it, and he rolled his eyes as he watched him limp through the office exaggeratedly. He was glad that he was the only one working the case with you, because you didn't seem to play well with his other agents. You reminded him a lot of Peggy, who you hadn't met yet because she was flying in from LA tomorrow. Peggy and Daniel would be here for at least a month, working out of the New York office on something they still wouldn't tell him about. 

But something about you had stuck in Jack's mind. You were gorgeous, there was no denying that, but you seemed contradictory. You had flirted with him a little when you were alone in his office and he was explaining the daily routine of the SSR, and he had flirted back. But you had then called all the men in the office sexist pigs (and you weren't wrong about that one), and Jack just wondered where he fit into all of it. There was a piece of him that wanted to dislike you, because you seemed like more trouble than he wanted to deal with, but he just couldn't. 

The first of Jack's bad decisions was made almost immediately after you left, when Jack left his office to see what all the fuss in the bullpen was about, even though he had already been listening through the closed door. "Jeez, can you believe her? I guess I know why she was banished to us," Agent Blair said, reaching down to rub his injured foot through his shoe. 

"I don't know Blair, maybe you're just an ass," Jack shot back playfully. "She was perfectly fine with me before."

"Like there's any woman on earth who wouldn't jump the chief’s bones if she could," Agent Joe Reyes piped up. "This one was probably just as enamored." 

"I don't think so," Blair said. "She did say that she didn't do relationships." 

"Blair's probably right," Jack cut in. "I don't think she'd date me, especially if she's sworn off anything serious." 

But Reyes wasn't going to let this go. "Wanna make it a bet?"

Jack knew it was a bad idea. There was a voice in his head that told him that nothing good could come from this. But that's not what came out of his mouth. "Oh yeah? What are your terms?" 

"You're always hounding one of us to work the Fourth of July shift," Reyes said. "If you can successfully make her your girlfriend before the end of the case, then I'll take the shift, no whining or crying. But if she goes back to DC at the end of this case and nothing happens between you two, you have to guarantee me the day off." 

"Yeah," one of the other agents cut in. "And if you lose, you work the shift." 

Against all better judgement and ignoring every single voice of reason crying out in his head, Jack nodded. "Deal. What are your terms?" 

"She said she doesn't do relationships, so you can't just say you did it and it's over before she goes back to DC," Reyes said. "You and her have to go public about your relationship, or it doesn't count. That's the only way I'd believe it wasn't just a one night stand." 

"You really think I can't do this, don't you?" Jack said. He was naturally competitive, and at this point he had shut out all reason. 

"No I don't," Reyes said, and the rest of the office looked on with wide eyes. "And I'll tell you what, if you win and she doesn't transfer at the end of this case, I'll work Christmas too." 

"Throw in New Years and you have a deal. Eve and Day." 

"Fine, let's see what you got chief. Guess we'll finally find out if you're really as talented as women seem to think you are." 

_\- end of part one -_


	2. When All Hell Breaks Loose

You weren't too excited about the fact that you had to go to New York for a case either. You liked it in DC, and you didn't want to lose everything you had worked for. You didn't know much about the SSR either, only that they were an intelligence agency that dealt with international espionage and other strange cases. The FBI already had a division like that in the DC office, for the "unbelievable" and "unsolvable" cases that came across the bureau's register, but they were the laughingstock of the agency. So you didn't have high expectations for this case when you stepped into the New York Bell Company Building and flashed your ID at the receptionist. 

The office was hidden well, because you almost got lost trying to find the telephone room, where you would have to take another elevator to get to the SSR office itself. And when you finally did make it into the bullpen, the other agents' eyes all turned to you. But you knew they didn't really see you. 

The chief was nice enough, and you learned that you would mostly be working with him, which you were grateful for. He was cute too, and if you hadn't sworn off relationships you might have pursued him. You didn't know if you would make it to the end of the case if you had to work with the other agents, because they obviously didn't see you as anything more than a piece of meat. That was part of the reason you didn't bother with entanglements and emotions: because no man you had ever met actually wanted to build a relationship with you. They were either looking for someone they could mold into a housewife, or they were looking for someone to cheat with. And most men acted the same way when you told them you didn't want any strings attached. 

But despite what everyone seemed to think, no bad relationship of your own changed you. You had simply gone through life watching enough of your friends get their hearts broken by men who weren't worth their tears. And yeah, maybe it was a little cynical, but it was a defense mechanism, one that came in handy in your line of work. Once the other FBI agents realized you weren't going to take shit from any of them, they mostly backed off. Sure, you had a reputation of being an ice queen, and you spent most of your time alone, but you didn't have to deal with the patronizing comments or remarks about your ass at work. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was the best you could do. 

Thankfully, once you gave your declaration to the agents of the SSR on the first day, they didn't really bother you. It still felt like they were watching your every move, but you attributed that to the fact that you were still new to the office, and they weren't used to your presence. You worked mostly with the chief, pouring over case files and trying to find a way to connect the murders in a way that could lead you to the killer. 

You had met Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa as well, who worked in the Los Angeles division of the SSR, but who were over for an extended business trip. You and Peggy instantly hit it off, and you got along with Daniel after he shot a glare at another agent who had the audacity to ask you to do his filing. Daniel knew that you didn’t need any help taking care of yourself, he had spent enough time with Peggy to realize that, but you appreciated that he didn’t just let it slide like so many others would have. 

Overall, you liked the chief - he seemed like a decent guy. But he might have taken your harmless flirting when you first met him the wrong way, because he started to act a little differently towards you a few days after you arrived. At first it was small things that you could have brushed off, like holding the door for you when you went places to investigate, or staring down a catcaller on the street, but it gradually started to snowball. Until one day he asked you out as you walked out to one of the crime scenes. “Would you want to grab a drink with me after work?” 

“Why?” you were instantly on edge. “Like a date?” 

“If you want it to be a date, then yeah.” 

“I’m sorry Jack, but I don’t date. And even if I did, I’m here on a case, not a permanent relocation.” 

He took the rejection gracefully, and you hoped it wouldn’t make things too awkward between the two of you on the case. 

***

Jack was starting to regret ever agreeing to Reyes’ bet. He knew it was a bad idea when it was suggested, but the prospect of not having to beg someone to take the holiday shifts really was a strong motivator. He had worked the Christmas shift last year, and even though he didn’t really spend the holidays with any family, he definitely didn’t want to work it again this year. 

Part of him also took the bet because he was enamored by you, but he didn’t think he would ever actually pluck up the courage to do anything about it without an outside force. It was just a bet anyway, and he would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to. If all was said and done and at the end of the case nothing happened, he’d just cut his losses and work another year of holidays. 

The other agents watched his interactions with you constantly, and they were starting to hound him about his “progress” with wooing you. He rolled his eyes and waved them off every time with the same remark. “These things take time you know.” 

One day though, that answer didn’t suffice. “So you’re saying you lost?” one of the guys asked. 

“No, I’m just saying that I haven’t won yet.” 

“So she said no.” 

“This is why none of you have girlfriends, you know?” Jack said, looking around at the office. “Because you think stuff like this can be done in a day. Relationships take time and work, and just because I don’t have results yet doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.” 

“Taming the shrew, are you chief?” 

“Just leave me alone, won’t you?” 

Eventually everyone stopped asking for updates because it became increasingly clear that there wasn’t going to be any, but they still watched his every move. Thankfully, after you turned down his offer to get drinks that time, your working relationship wasn’t really affected. Jack found himself becoming more fascinated with you every day. You had an exceptional eye for detail, and you picked clues out from crime scenes that he never would have thought about before. You also knew exactly how to talk your way into getting what you wanted, especially with receptionists. You showed a distaste for the police officers that frequented the crime scenes the two of you would travel to, but you always stopped to say hello to the police dogs if they were on the scene as well. Jack was almost glad that you and him weren’t really any closer to catching the South Street Ripper than when you first arrived in New York, because it meant he could spend more time with you. 

***

You were nursing a drink in a hole in the wall bar one night after work when you thought you saw Jack Thompson walk past the window and look in. No, you decided, it definitely wasn’t him. The city was filled with attractive blond men, it had to be someone else. Not that your primary idea of Jack was that he was attractive. He was, you couldn’t lie to yourself there, but that wasn’t the point. 

It turned out you were wrong, because the moment you turned back to your drink, you felt a presence next to you. “Fancy seeing you here,” you heard him say. 

“Are you following me Chief Thompson?” you asked playfully, one eyebrow raised as you turned to look at him. 

“I would never,” he responded. “But are you following me Agent L/N? Because this is my favorite bar.”

“Oh really?” you challenged. “Are you just saying that to cover up the fact that you were following me?” You might have felt trapped if it was anyone else, but in the time that you’ve been in New York, you’ve started to develop a friendly relationship with the chief, once you got past the awkwardness of him asking you out. 

“Why would I ever do that?” he said with a shrug, before flagging down the bartender. He knew Jack by name, so he either wasn’t lying about drinking here often, or this was an elaborate con. You went with the former. 

The next thing you knew, you had a new drink in front of you, when you had barely taken the final sips of the first one. You turned to Jack pointedly. “This wouldn’t be a way to get me to go on a date with you, would it?” 

He raised his hands slightly in defiance. “Of course not. I’ll even let you get the next round.” 

“Well I don’t know about that. You seem to have expensive taste.” 

***

The next morning, you woke up to see sunlight streaming in through the window. But hang on, your hotel room didn’t have a window there. You sat up, and became instantly aware of the fact that you were naked, and that there was a body in the bed next to you. You could see your clothes scattered all through the room, and your eyes finally landed on the man whose bed you had occupied last night. The covers were pulled up high and he was laying on his stomach, but you could see blond hair peeking out. When you saw the suit jacket that was discarded next to your garter belt on the floor, you knew immediately what had happened. 

You tiptoed across the floor of the apartment and gathered your things, hoping that he didn’t wake up in the process. You couldn’t believe you had slept with him, out of every man in New York. Entanglements and relationships at work never ended well, you had seen too many of them fail to know that. And now you had to work together? You could bounce back from him asking you out, but sleeping with him? This was a new low. 

But last night in the bar, you remembered most of it. The alcohol loosened you up, and you acted on the urges that you had always tried to keep away. He kissed you first, but you accepted his offer to go back to his apartment. You remember sloppily kissing him outside of the bar as you waited for a taxi to pick you up, and you remember hanging onto him as you climbed the stairs to his third floor apartment. 

You finally made it out of the building and took a breath of the chilly morning air. At least it was Saturday, so you didn’t have to see him until Monday, but that day was still coming. You collapsed face down on the bed when you got back to your hotel room, wondering what the hell you were going to do next. 

_\- end of part two -_


	3. What to Do in an Awkward Situation at Work

The pit in your stomach only grew bigger as you walked into the New York Bell Company building on Monday morning. You had spent all weekend holed up in your hotel room, overthinking and worrying about what might happen when you encounter Jack Thompson once again. You had fucked up, badly, and there was no going back. Your working relationship had taken a stumble when he had asked you out, but you could bounce back from that. But this time, you didn’t think there was a thing either of you could do to bounce back. And even if there was a way to salvage your pride and solve the case without too much embarrassment, it would still mean that you would have to sit down with him and talk about it, something you definitely didn’t want to do. 

You expected to be the object of everyone’s stares when you walked into the bullpen. News traveled fast in these spaces, and if Jack had said something or they had weaseled it out of him. But much to your surprise, no whispers swirled around you as you walked to your desk. You looked over at the chief’s office, and you were shocked when you saw the light off. Nothing else seemed out of place as you sat down at your desk, but the fact that Jack wasn’t here yet worried you. He had told you that he was often the first one to arrive and the last to leave. Part of you wished that he just never showed up to work today, because then you could push off the confrontation another day, but at the same time you knew that delaying the inevitable was useless. 

When the chief finally did arrive for work, you didn’t look up from your desk. You heard his footsteps slow as he walked by you, but he didn’t say anything. When the door to his office closed loudly behind him, the rest of the office started to whisper to each other. 

“What’s wrong with him?” 

“I don’t know, he seemed fine on Friday.”

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed probably.” That one was partially true, but you didn’t dare speak. 

You were quite content just sitting at your desk in the bullpen, sifting through surveillance reports and other paperwork for the entire day, but the universe had other plans. “Agent L/N, can I see you in my office?” 

You closed the door the minute you stepped into the office, not wanting any of the other agents to hear even a whisper of the conversation that was about to happen. “You wanted to see me chief?” 

“Cut the shit Y/N, you know why we’re sitting here right now.” 

“I don’t know what you think happened, but that was a mistake on my part. I’ve already told you that I don’t do relationships, and I don’t intend to go back on that statement.” 

“So you’re just going to ignore it?” 

“What do you expect to change?” you asked, keeping your voice down even though you didn’t really want to. “I’m here on a temporary assignment, and that’s it.” 

“What should we do then? Act like nothing ever happened?” his voice was different, thick with an emotion you couldn’t quite name. 

“We work together to solve this case,” you said. “The decisions we made may have been questionable, but that doesn’t mean we can’t even try to move past it. Maybe in a different life we could have been together in the way that you want us to be, but right now it’s just not something I can do.” 

Thankfully he agreed to just try and make the best of the situation, but you could see the hurt on his face. You walked out of the office and closed the door behind you, trying to see if any of the other agents had heard your conversation, but no one seemed to appear any different. It hurt you too, you weren’t going to lie, which was something you didn’t expect when you first walked into the office today. 

There was something between the two of you, you couldn’t deny it, but today your rationale won over. 

*** 

Jack meant every word he said, despite the bet occupying a permanent space in his mind. And yeah, part of this was his fault, but he didn’t want to regret it. He wasn’t as tipsy as you were that night (he always had a high tolerance for alcohol), so he remembered everything in perfect detail. And it was clear that there was something between the two of you. He couldn’t get you out of his head, your smile, your kiss, the intoxicating feeling of your skin on his. He mentally kicked himself for kissing you outside of the bar, because now it felt like he had gotten a taste of something he could never have. 

_You were tispy and giggling as you stepped out in the chilly night air. You stumbled slightly on a dip in the sidewalk, and Jack’s hand flew out to catch you. “Do you need help?” he asked._

_You shook your head. “I should be-” you stumbled again, but used the brick wall outside of the bar to support yourself. “Fine.”_

_“Are you sure?” he asked, reaching to steady you._

_“Just give me a moment,” you said, but then you grabbed his arm. “I normally can walk fine, it’s my damn shoes that are killing my feet.”_

_Jack looked down at the shoes you were wearing, and the heel was definitely higher than he normally saw people wearing. “Here, I’ll support you.”_

_“Oh I could kiss you,” you mumbled, and he stopped in his tracks._

_The next thing he knew, he was doing just that. Your back was against the wall as you kissed hungrily, and he knew it was wrong to be making out in the middle of the street, but in that moment he didn’t care._

_“Where’s your hotel?” he asked when you broke apart, panting slightly._

_“Like 10 blocks from here, why?”_

_“My place is only 3 blocks, if you don’t want to walk that far in your shoes.”_

_At his proposition, you grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket and kissed him again._

***

You and Jack had an understanding, but it didn’t make working on the case any less awkward. But you also had to pretend that everything was fine in front of the other agents, because they had no idea what had happened between you and the chief when you were both tipsy, and you definitely wanted to keep it that way. So when Jack approached you in the bullpen one morning and asked you if you wanted to go to lunch that day, you accepted even though you would definitely rather not be alone with him. 

The other agents watched the two of you leave with a careful eye, which you found odd, but Jack swore that he hadn’t uttered a word to anyone about what happened, and you believed him. 

You wondered why he had asked you to lunch, but you didn’t have to wait long for an answer, because the minute the waitress left with your order, he spoke. “I know we agreed that we would try and move past what happened, but I just can’t do that.” 

“But-” 

“Please, just let me talk,” he said, cutting you off. “I know you’re not looking for anything serious, and you’re only here for the duration of the case. But something doesn’t have to be forever for it to be worth something. I want to spend time with you, and I don’t want to forget that night. When we’re done with this case we can go our separate ways, but that won’t make what we have any less valuable or real.” 

You didn’t know what to say. You wanted to accept, but there was a part of you that was afraid you’d want to stay after the case was over. You hadn’t felt like this about someone in a long time, and it frightened you. “I don’t know,” you said. 

“What are you afraid of?” he asked gently. 

“I don’t want to be looked at any differently,” you said. 

“So we don’t tell anyone right now,” he offered. “And if you don’t ever want to say anything, we don’t. But I want to spend time with you Y/N, and I don’t want to have to feign interest in a case to do it.” 

Against your better judgement, you nodded. “Alright,” you said. “We’ll give it a shot.” 

He reached across the table and took your hand, offering you a small smile. There was a fuzzy feeling in your stomach, and you couldn’t help hoping you had made the right choice in agreeing. 

_\- end of part three -_


	4. Why Dating in the Workplace is Never Ideal

Peggy was the first person you trusted enough to tell about what had happened between you and Jack, and that you were continuing to see him. You had gone out to lunch together one day, chatting idly in the booth about what it was to work in the SSR, and if you would ever consider leaving your job at the FBI for one at the SSR. “I’m sure Chief Thompson would be happy if you stayed in New York,” she had said. 

You choked on your drink at her statement. “He told you?” 

Peggy looked confused. “Told me what?” she asked cautiously. “Did something happen between the two of you?” 

The cat was out of the bag now, and there was no point in denying it, because she would just find out anyway. “Yeah,” you admitted. “And we’re still seeing each other.” 

“You really like him, don’t you?” Peggy asked, a knowing glint in her eye. 

“More than I think I’ve ever liked anyone,” you said. “And I’m scared it’s all going to come crashing down.” 

“Did he do something?” Peggy asked worriedly. “Because I can talk some sense into that little-”

“No, nothing like that,” you said, laughing at the way she was ready to fight him. “But there’s a piece of me that’s worried that he doesn’t care about me in the same way I care about him. I’ve never really gotten this far in a relationship, and even though we both know that I’m leaving when this case is over, something just seems off.” 

Peggy nodded. “If it’s any consolation, I’ve never seen Jack the way he’s been since you’ve been here.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, and I’ve dealt with him for a long time,” she said, a small smile crossing her face. “But I think as stupid as he can be sometimes, he has a good head on his shoulders and he’ll do what’s right.” 

***

And for a little while after that lunch, Peggy wholeheartedly believed what she had said to you. She didn’t know the truth behind Jack’s pursuit for a relationship, why he really tried so hard to get you to keep seeing him after you were ready to leave New York. 

She only found out because she was sitting in the bullpen one morning and she watched you and Jack leave to check out a promising new lead, and all the other agents in the bullpen looked at each other with knowing smiles as the door closed. It was as if there was a secret that everyone else in the room knew, and she wasn’t going to ignore that. “Why are you all looking at each other like that?” she asked, staring down some of the agents she thought would break. 

“What do you mean?” one of them asked. 

But Peggy could sense bullshit. “I wasn’t born yesterday you know,” she said. “I know when everyone else in a room knows something I don’t, and I’m guessing it has something to do with Chief Thompson and Agent L/N.” There was an uneasy silence in the office, you could see all of the other agents trying to decide if they should fess up or not. “Well?” she pressed. 

“Reyes bet Chief Thompson that he couldn’t get Agent L/N to date him and it not be more than a one night stand,” someone piped up, and a sigh swept through the office.   
Peggy turned her glare on Reyes, who was shaking his head. “Are you serious?” 

“He agreed to it!” 

“That doesn’t make it okay!” 

“I don't know why you’re all worked up about it,” another agent cut in. “I don’t think anything has happened, and if the case closes the bet is done.” 

Peggy didn’t really want to tell the other agents that something had indeed happened between you and the chief, but she also couldn’t just let this happen. “And if something does happen between them?” she asked, looking around the room. “When Y/N finds out that her budding relationship has been a lie the entire time? That she was a punchline, because you all couldn’t handle the fact that she didn’t pay you any attention? How would you like it if this happened to you?” 

The other agents were silent, and no one would meet Peggy’s eyes. “What were the terms of the bet anyway?” More silence. “Well?” 

“If the chief can get Agent L/N to not only date him, but go public about their relationship, then Reyes works the Fourth of July shift without bitching and moaning. If the case ends and she doesn’t go back to DC, he not only works the Fourth of July, but Christmas and New Years too. Eve and Day.” 

_All of this was over who was working holiday shifts?_ “What happens if Agent L/N goes back to DC at the end of the case and nothing happens?” 

“Then the chief works those days.” 

“And you are all okay with the fact that a woman’s happiness and trust is all about to be crushed because none of you want to suck it up and maybe work _one_ holiday?” Peggy said. 

“Well what are we supposed to do about it now?” 

“I will be speaking directly with Chief Thompson,” Peggy said. “But this ends now.” 

“But-” 

“Do you like your job here, Agent Reyes?” Peggy’s tone was sharp. “Because if you’d like to keep it, I’d suggest you back down.”

An uneasy silence settled over the bullpen, but no one challenged Peggy. They knew enough not to. 

***

“Chief Thompson, might I have a word?” Jack was a little taken aback at Peggy’s formal tone, but he nodded and they stepped into his office. The moment the door closed, Peggy drew the blinds and then gave him a look that made him feel like he was getting reprimanded by his mother when he was a kid. “I can’t believe you.” 

Jack definitely didn’t know what she was talking about. “You can’t believe what?” 

“The cat’s out of the bag about the bet.” 

He immediately sunk a little in his chair. “Oh.” 

“There’s no way that this can end well, you know that right?” she said. “You were always going to have to make a choice: win the bet and lose her trust, or take the loss and never admit it, but live the rest of your life knowing the truth.” 

There were a few moments of silence, and then he spoke. “I wasn’t going to tell her,” he said. “I would have just lost the bet.” 

“So you would have just buried another ugly truth then,” Peggy said. “Because you can’t seem to accept the consequences of your actions.” 

Jack’s eyes flashed with anger at her statement. “Carter-” 

“No, you’re going to listen to me,” Peggy said. “Because do you want to know what Y/N told me the other day? That she likes you more than she’s ever liked anyone else, and we both know she doesn’t deserve to be lied to like this. You made this bed, now it’s time to lie in it, because if you don’t tell her, _I will.”_

Jack was silent, but that didn’t really matter, because Peggy had already said everything she needed to. The door swung loudly to a close behind her as she walked back into the bullpen. She hoped that Jack would make the right choice, because she really didn’t want to have to tell you the truth. Her heart broke for you, because not only did you really trust Jack, but this was the first time you were trusting someone enough to attempt a relationship. No one deserved to be the butt of the joke, especially because the idiots in the office didn’t want to work certain shifts. 

She didn’t know how you would react, but she honestly wouldn’t blame you if you acted rashly. 

And she definitely intended to keep her promise to Jack. If she felt he was taking too long to tell you, if she thought he was trying to solve the case so you would leave and he wouldn’t have to admit to his mistakes, she would tell you, and there was nothing Jack could do about it.

_\- end of part four -_


	5. If You're Going to Fall in Love, it Might as Well Be Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i'm testing a new psued for my marvel works :) if you're subscribed to me, you don't have to change anything on your end, you should still get notified under this name too - my marvel blog on tumblr is now lovelyavengers too :)
> 
> also this is the last chapter of this fic, i hope you've enjoyed it!

It had been almost two weeks since Peggy first confronted Jack, and he still hadn’t come clean to you about the bet. She was running out of patience, and soon she was going to just tell you herself. She didn’t want to be the one to have to tell you, because it would probably hurt more coming from her than from Jack himself, but she couldn’t let this go on. Yeah it would be more painful to hear it from Peggy rather than Jack, but it would be far worse to find out by accident, or to find out after the fact. 

Eventually it had gone on long enough, and she decided to confront him once again, this time in the conference room after all the other agents had filed out of a briefing. You hadn’t arrived for the day, so she wasn't too concerned about her volume, because the rest of the office knew about everything already. “You need to tell her Jack, today. Or I will.” 

“Peggy-” 

“No, I gave you enough time,” she said. “I don’t care about your pride, Y/N deserves to at least know that the real reason you’re together is that you bet the rest of your idiot office you could get her into a relationship! Maybe she won’t care, but she needs to know.” 

Neither of them had heard the door to the conference room open, and neither of them noticed that you were there until you spoke. “Is that true?” you asked. 

Jack’s eyes widened, and he didn’t know what to say. “Y/N, you have to understand, I-” 

“So it is true,” you said angrily, cutting him off. “Because you wouldn’t be standing here trying to defend something that wasn’t! It was all fake, huh?” 

“Y/N, I’m sorry-” 

“No, you’re just sorry you got caught,” you said, whirling around and leaving the room.

“YN! Listen to me!” Jack said, chasing after you into the bullpen. 

“Why should I?” you said. The whole office was staring at you, but you didn’t care, because apparently they were all in on it anyway. “You did everything right, you know, I can’t believe I ever thought you were different. But you’re no different than anyone else, because all you care about is the outcome. The bet, the bragging rights, the ability to say ‘look at me!’ That’s why you kept saying that it wouldn’t matter that I was going to leave, because this was never supposed to last,” your voice was getting shaky, but your eyes remained cold and unwavering. “I hope you won your bet, because obviously that’s all you care about.” And with that, you started to walk out the door. 

“Wait! Please!” 

“I’ll finish this case,” you said. “But that’s it. You disgust me Jack Thompson, and the rest of you idiots too.” And with that, you were gone. 

An uneasy silence settled over the room, and every eye was on Jack, waiting with bated breath to see what he would do. “Don’t you all have work to do?” he said loudly, walking over to his office. “Or is ruining my life your full time job?” 

The door slammed behind him, but still no one spoke. 

***

It was days later when you returned to the SSR, and even then it was just to grab some files. You informed Peggy that you were going to be working out of the FBI’s New York field office for a while, because another case came up that required your attention. Jack almost didn’t believe that and he thought that you were just trying to avoid him, but when a story appeared in the paper about a triple homicide, he gave up on that idea. The FBI also called and offered to send another agent out to help the SSR on the case you were originally assigned to, but Jack declined. 

Peggy was the only person who had any contact with you, but she refused to tell Jack anything. And yeah, maybe he deserved it, but that didn’t change the way he felt about you. He knew he should have never taken the bet in the first place, but it was too late to dwell on that now. He had made this bed, now he had to lie in it.

Two weeks passed before he saw you again, before you even set foot in the SSR. You were leaving for DC, despite the fact that Jack still hadn’t solved the case you were originally sent to New York for. The only reason you had to go in was so you could drop off files that you had accidentally taken with you in your fit of rage, and you were driving back to DC the moment you left the SSR, so there was no way to drop them off another time. 

No one spoke as you walked through the bullpen, eyes forward and lips pursed. You knocked on the door to the chief’s office and waited to be let in. Jack opened the door, definitely not expecting to see you. “These are yours,” you said shortly, holding the files out to him. 

“Can we talk?” Jack asked quietly. His hair was messy and he had dark circles under his eyes. 

“What is there to talk about?” you asked, keeping your tone even. 

“Y/N, I just want to explain,” he said, not caring how desperate he sounded. 

“I don’t want an explanation,” you said. “I don’t want a justification for what you did to me, I don’t care what happened. I’m not mad anymore, but I won’t forget that feeling. I trusted you, and you had every opportunity to explain what was going on. Hell, maybe I could have helped you scam the rest of the office into working more overtime. But the fact that you decided to hide it from me, and you had the audacity not even to tell me when Peggy was forcing you to, that I had to find out by accident, that’s what’s unforgivable. And there’s nothing you can say to me that would make me change my mind about it.” 

“I was serious, what I told you that day,” he said. “I didn’t do anything because of the bet, and I never lied to you.” 

Your eyebrows shot up. “How exactly can you claim you never lied to me when you’ve had a bet going with the entire office about whether or not you could get me to ‘settle down?’” 

“I may have omitted some details, but I never lied.” Someone in the bullpen coughed, and you remembered this was all happening in the doorway to his office, and all the other agents could hear everything. You didn’t care, because this was their fault as much as it was Jack’s. 

“It’s the same thing in my eyes,” you said, and you walked right out of the office. It hurt, to leave him behind like that, but you knew you had to. You hadn’t lied to him when you said you weren’t mad anymore, but that didn’t mean you weren’t hurting. Part of you wanted to hear him out, to forgive him, but the rational part of your brain didn’t let you. Maybe you would forgive him one day, maybe you could try to go back to what you were, but not right now. 

_*** 1 year later ***_

This was not a good day, and it was only shaping up to get worse. You had overslept, the main road you took to work was closed because of an accident, and you were close to losing your job if you didn’t get your case reports to the Assistant Director in the next half hour. So it was only the cherry on top of a horrible day when you crashed into someone in the hallway. “Watch where you’re going!” you exclaimed, as you almost dropped your files. 

“I’m so sorry,” the man said, and then you locked eyes. “Y/N?” 

“Jack?” This could not be happening right now. Of all the people you expected to crash into in the hallway, Jack Thompson was nowhere near that list. And as far as you knew, he was still supposed to be in New York. “What are you-” you started to say, but decided against finishing that question. “Never mind, I don’t have the time for this today,” you said as you walked away from him. 

“Y/N, wait!” he said. 

“Against your better judgement, you turned around. “I really can’t talk right now,” you said. “If you can come to my office later maybe I will, but not now.” 

He didn’t say anything else, so you ran off. 

You didn’t think he would actually take you up on your offer, that’s partially why you said it. But you sat in your office for the rest of the day and wondered if he was going to walk through the door. You were hoping to see him, but you didn’t want to admit that. The day was almost over, and you had given up the idea that he would show up when the door opened to reveal exactly the person you wanted to see. “Sorry it took me forever to find you,” he said, an apologetic look on his face. “I can’t believe they’ve got you down here in the basement.” 

You laughed. “I don’t know, I kind of like it down here.” 

“I want to cut to the chase,” he said, shutting the door behind him. “When I saw you today I knew, I knew I had to give this a shot. I want to be with you Y/N, I want to try again. I know what I did was unforgivable, and you have every right to tell me to go to hell, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you since you walked out of the SSR the last time I saw you, and I don’t think I ever will.” 

“Jack,” you said softly. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you either, but how would it ever work? New York and DC are so far away.” 

“The SSR shut down a few months ago, and I worked with Peggy to set up a new agency called SHIELD,” he said. “It’s based in DC.” 

“Are you serious?” you asked. 

“I am. I want to give us another shot, if you are too.” 

The rational part of your brain said no, but you didn’t listen to it. “There’s no bet this time?” you asked. 

He shook his head. “No bet. I would never hurt you like that again.” 

“Okay,” you said quietly. “Let’s give it another shot.” 

His face broke into a smile, and he moved closer to you. “Can I kiss you?” he asked. 

“Is the door shut?” you asked, not taking your eyes off him. 

“Yes.” 

“Then yes.” His lips met yours, and you had almost forgotten how much you liked it.

Maybe it really was time to listen to your heart for once. 

_\- the end -_

**Author's Note:**

> if you want to say hi, you can find me on tumblr @lovelyavengers for fic and @fandomsandxfiles for everything else!


End file.
